Arteriosclerosis obliterans and associated risk factors in insulin-dependent and non-insulin-dependent diabetes.

The prevalence of arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) of the legs was determined by a battery of noninvasive tests in 141 insulin-dependent and 289 non-insulin-dependent diabetic subjects and in 64 other subjects. The prevalence of detectable ASO ranges from 18% in the younger IDDM group to 41% in the diet-treated NIDDM group. The prevalence of ASO increases 7.5% per decade, appears to increase 6.5% in the age-adjusted IDDM group, 9% in males, 19% in those with hypertension, and 12% in smokers. No consistently significant correlations with fasting glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin, or obesity were found. After accounting for the effect of smoking, the increased risk for ASO in males becomes nonsignificant.